The Burkart Boys!

Whew! Christmas sure did come and go so quickly. Well, lots has happened to our little Burkart family this past weekend...i'm just now able to tell about it.
First off, we had our gender ultrasound Thursday. I was not able to sleep the whole week leading up to that day. haha. It's true. That morning while sitting in the waiting room, i felt like my nerves were going to make me faint! I really did not care whether the baby was a girl or boy...i just wanted to make sure the baby was healthy and well. Finally my name was called. The nurse who did the ultrasound was the exact same nurse who did our ultrasound with James. Was kind of neat. We spent a good hour looking at the amazing ultrasound screen. Detail by detail the nurse went through every bone to every artery in the heart. Our baby was such an active one! Doing flips, rolls, anything the baby could do to get away from the ultrasound. haha. The precious little thing kept it's hands close to it's face. When it came time to find out what the baby was...the baby was moving so much that it was hard to tell at first. But there lied between those two little legs was the answer. haha. It popped right up! haha. Yes, we are having another precious boy! I cried throughout the whole ultrasound and on the way home. haha.
Ryan and i feel so blessed and priveledged to have another boy to raise and lead in the way of the Lord and love. It's such a blessing because we basically have everything we need! Except for the every day essentials like diapers, wipes and such. The only major things we'll be needing to get is a pump for me and possibly a double stroller. It's nice not feeling so rushed. yes, of course we would have loved to have a girl, but with having a boy we do not feel as rushed to find a bigger house...for now. :) james and our baby boy will be sharing a room for a while...which i think will be good for them both. It's funny, the night before we found out the sex, Ryan and i were lying in bed talking about how much James needs a brother....little did we know. haha.
I don't know why we are having another boy? Maybe it's God's way of saying "y'all aren't done yet." haha. Or we are called to raise godly, respectable, dependable men? (Lord help us!) Or maybe i am just destined to be outnumbered by men? Whatever the reason, we are so happy, excited, and feel completely and utterly blessed beyond belief!
Here are some ultrasound pics - i don't have a scanner so they came out a little blurry. boo.

Showing off his muscles. haha.


The precious profile. He has the same head shape as james, but the nose is a little different.


His 4D picture. He was hiding his face with his hand. I love that little hand!


Sucking his thumb. So amazing...all five fingers!



*I'll tell how we told our family about the gender in another post*

Since we know we are having a boy, we have come to an agreement on a name for him. We were having a toss up between Jonah and Adam. But i do believe we are going with Adam Mark Burkart. (mark is after my dad) Adam sounds like a strong, manly name...that's why we of course chose it. So, James and Adam. "JAMES! ADAM!" Yep that sounds good when i yell. haha.
Even though Adam has all the clothes he will need - i found some plain onesies of james. I decided to get a little crafty with them.

For Adam...James' old onesy.




For James. I'm going to do this on a white onesy for Adam...so they can wear them together.


Whelp, i need to go make some vegetable soup for my sick little man. Hope he feels better soon! Have a thankful day!

Finding Things to Keep Me Busy...Christmas will do!

Well, the week has finally come! We find out the sex of the baby Thursday! I have lost sleep because of the anticipation...i know crazy. I should be enjoying this time of sleep before the baby arrives.
I just want to make sure everything is okay with the baby. The sex is important, of course, but i know whatever it is we will love! With James' pregnancy i had 5 ultrasounds - nothing was wrong - my doctor had an ultrasound machine in her office, so almost everytime we went for a checkup she would give us an ultrasound. This time we have only had one, and that was way back when we found out we were pregnant. So i am ready to see this baby!
Of course James and regularity of keeping up the house, i do keep busy. But with the ultrasound nearing, i have needed things to take it off my mind. So with Christmas here, that has helped. I have done some Christmas craft gifts once again.

For my mom, (found on Pinterest) I made her a Grandkids plaque - where she can hang pictures of her grand kids.



At first we tried to spray paint with stencils for the letters...it kept smudging and did not look great. Even though it took a long time, i printed of letters from our computer, cut them out, painted them, and mod podged them on the wooden plaque. It turned out really well! The clips for the pictures are just clothes pins. (i found some at the dollar store) i painted them white then hot glued on ribbon and buttons.
I also made some clothes pins and glued magnets on the back. They are great to hang up pictures or mail on the refrigerator.


For my nieces, i made a little bag with a christmas tree made out of ribbon. I just hot glued the ribbon on. I found this on pinterest - they made the tree on shirts, but i couldn't find shirts in the right size. Inside the bag i made bracelets and an ornament with their names on it. As you can tell, there is no ornament in the bag. Our lovely dog rocky, decided to chow down on presents the other night while we were away. Thus resulted in no ornaments. So i just put candy in there instead. haha.






Over the weekend, James and i baked Christmas cookies for our Kentucky Christmas. (we celebrated ours early, because we'll be in NC for Christmas) He loves cookie batter! And he was such a cute mess "helping" me.





Well, i am hungry once again and need to go do some prenatal workout before the kiddo wakes up! I will be posting soon! :) Love to you all!

Crafty Crafts

Dinner is in the oven...i don't have much time to blog, but if i don't do it now...i won't. haha.
I love doing crafts and learning how to do creative things...especially for the home. I have become an addict to Pinterest and all the crazy amazing ideas on there. Though mine do not compare to the ones on Pinterest, i still had fun doing them.

I painted this - i want to try to make a bigger one and with different colors that match our bedroom.


I love lacy things! I saw this on pinterest as well. I used what i already had around the house. The people who lived in our house before us left some lace curtains - since i knew that by being married to Ryan we would never have laced curtains hanging in our house, i cut some pieces off and glued them to an empty mason jar. I found a tea candle and put in there. It looks better with the candle lit. What i did not have was frost spray paint - it gives it a better affect.



Last week, Ryan brought james home a big surprise (an early Christmas gift) a Train that moves! James was in shock and so excited! he was a little bummed at first because he could not push the main train around - that would basically break it. We eventually put it around our Christmas tree and we turn it on everyday. haha. (it's loud! i don't think Ryan knew how loud it was haha) But it was such a sweet moment for both James and Ryan.


And now i just have to post a couple pics of my cute doodlebug! We got him a new winter hat from Old Navy for $8! He loves it!

Say Cheese!

I just love my boys! I'll post more about baby #2 updates soon! Love y'all!

Hello 2nd Trimester!

James is napping and i just finished my little prenatal workout....time to blog!
I am very excited! Tonight, i have a baby dr's appointment! I am hoping that we will be able to hear the precious heartbeat again. Being pregnant is really the only time i enjoy going to the doctor - plus i love my doctor!
I will be 16 weeks along tomorrow, which means only 2 weeks till we find out the sex! The anxiousness is killing me....it's kind of funny because my bible study group is reading a book called "calm my anxious heart." Kind of fitting, eh? haha. Anyways, i honestly have no stinkin clue what this child is. Morning sickness was a little rougher this time around and i was exhausted all the time. But could all that be due to having a toddler on top of being pregnant?
Lots of people are asking me what i would like to have, boy or a girl? Of course, i would love a girl - to dress her up in bows and actually buy cute little girl outfits that i see everytime i try to find something cute for james to wear. (lets face it, girls sections always have more clothes compared to the boys sections) If we had a girl, i could see me taking her on mother daughter outings. She and her daddy would go on dates together while james and i had a date together. I can see James being the big protective older brother. I have always been outnumbered by men throughout my life. I have 3 brothers....i had always wished for a sister, but as i grew up i would not have changed it for the world! And that brings me to the other conclusion - if it's a boy, James would have a little buddy, I could see both boys helping their daddy "build" in the garage. i have loved having a boy! And i wouldn't mind having another one. The love that sons have for their mothers is so precious! And how they look up to their fathers is such a wonderful sight for a mom to see. So as you can tell, i am good either way! It comes down to what the Lord feels is best for our family. Either way this child will be spoiled with love, for sure.
I just want to be able to put a name to the face, you know?
Our main priority and prayer is for the baby to be healthy. That has been my prayer from day one.
We do have a long hard road ahead handling a baby and a toddler. It will be new, exciting, and scary. haha.
I just can't wait to see this little bundle.
Here are a few pics of preggo belly from the end of the 3rd month:


Hello 2nd Trimester! I made it!



I am hungry, haha, i am going to grab a snack while i can (james always wants what i am eating). Have a happy day!

Thankful Thursday!

It is 730 in the am. Ryan has just left to run in the Thanksgiving Day 9k. (i'm so proud of him) James is sitting in his high chair eating breakfast while i am typing this. It is so nice to really be able to sit back a think about all of the things that i am thankful for....the list is so huge!
One of the things i am so thankful for is our little baby #2. I've been putting headphones on my belly playing sweet worship music for him/her. I know, his or her ears probably have not yet developed completely yet, but hey....people play music for plants in order for them to grow...do they have ears? nope. haha. Anyway, yesterday while James was napping, i relaxed on the couch while i played music for our baby. And guess what?! I felt the baby move! Believe it or not, i am positive it was our baby! I remember how it felt with james....it's the most amazing feeling in the world!
I am so thankful for our precious boy james. The whole toddler bed transition has been a dream come true. He has not come out of his bed once! He waits for us to come get him. And putting him down to sleep is still so easy as it was in the crib. Haha, we have started a new tradition with him before he goes to bed (not every night). Ryan gets his guitar - he learned to play some of James' favorite songs on it - Deep and Wide, Jesus Loves Me, The Wheels On the Bus, and Old Macdonald. We sing the songs together...James gets so tickled. And he always asks daddy to play it "fast" so he can run in place. haha. It is so sweet!
Yesterday my wonderful mommy took us to the mall for James' first Build A Bear experience. Uncle Joe was in town, so he came along too. James picked out such a cute dog and of course a Lightning Maqueen outfit for the dog. The Dog's name is Patch. It was so cut and sweet seeing him cling onto that dog all throughout the mall. After Build A Bear, James heard none other than the train passing by...so you know what that lead to. haha. He held onto Patch as he and Uncle Joe rode through the mall in the train. (so glad Joe was there - i would have gotten sick on the ride haha) We ate some lunch together and then rode the carosel. (Build A Bear gave us a free token for it) Here's some pictures from the eventful day:















Gammy gave James a little Christmas tree to decorate for himself. I got some lights from the dollar store and we hung the little heart ornaments that he had made on it. (we aren't decorating for Christmas until tomorrow - we have a thing about waiting until after Thanksgiving)



I am so thankful for my husband Ryan...who is right now running his heart out in the cold. haha. I always wonder why God blessed me with him? Everyday i am in awe of how God brought us together, our marriage, and our family. I am excited everyday about our lives together! I am also very thankful for his foot massages! The joys of being married to a preggo wife.
I love you Ryan!

I am thankful for my family!

I am thankful for God's wonderful peace! I think thankfulness plays a key role in that.

I need to go start cooking for a huge thanksgiving lunch with the family!
OHHH! I am also so thankful for 2nd trimester! Just in time for good eating!!! haha.
Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!!

Christmas Ornaments

It has been...well, a month since my last post. The pregnancy and little James have had me pretty occupied. On the Baby #2, everything is going great! I am 13 weeks today...which means only one week left of the 1st Trimester! I am starting to get more energy and am able to eat a little more at night...still not up to par, but i am well on my way.
Last week we had a Dr. appointment to check on our little bundle. We heard the heartbeat...the most amazing and comforting sound to a mother to be. It brought tears to my eyes...just knowing this is for real and that our baby is doing great. Other wonderful news considering our baby, we find out the sex on December 22nd! I'll only be 18 weeks, but the nurse was so sweet and said since i am petite it would be easy to find out the sex...plus she wanted me to be able to enjoy my Christmas. I told her "thank you" probably 10 times on the phone. haha. So, only 36 days till we find out! I really have no indication of what the baby is. Things were different and yet things were the same as James' pregnancy. We will see. Of course we would love to have a little girl, but i have absolutely loved being a mommy to a boy. (i may say differently when james reaches his teen years) haha. I am just so so so excited to just be having another baby. God turned an almost impossible situation into something possible and beautiful.
James is doing great. He is headed for some major adjustments these next few months. This weekend we are moving him into his toddler bed - so baby #2 can have the crib. (we wanted him to be well adjusted with that before the baby comes) Please pray it goes smoothly! Then this winter, sometime after Christmas, we will start POTTY TRAINING. (it kind of puts my stomach in knots thinking about that) If anyone has any tips...feel free to share! I figured since Kentucky is known for their very snowy and icy winters that it would be a great time to potty train - since we will be home a lot more. Then of course the last adjustment of having a little brother or sister. I think he will be great! But, i'm just praying that i will be able to divide my time wisely. woo.
James is talking more and more! we have been doing "school" for the past few months. He knows letters A - P now. He recognizes them and can say them. He knows his numbers 1 - 5. And the colors Red, Blue, and Green. It's actually been fun. Some days, because of morning sickness, i couldn't handle doing anything. haha. My favorite thing to do with him is Arts and Crafts. He is actually the neatest boy when it comes to painting and coloring. Always stays on the paper and i have yet to have a shirt covered in paint. (there's still time)
Today, i was in the Christmas mood and wanted to do something crafty. I found this "recipe" for homemade ornaments.
It's super easy and fun to do with the kids. You have to be careful that your kids do not think that they are cookies...James did at first and wanted to eat them. (he helps me bake cookies - he likes the batter...just like his mama) :)

All you need is:
- 1 cup of Salt
- 2 cups of All Purpose Flour
- 1 cup of Luke Warm Water
- Cookie Cutters



once you have the ornaments cut out and on the cookie sheet. You bake for 2 hours or until completely hardened on 250degrees.




After they are completely cool, you can use accrylic paint or really anything to decorate. We used acrylic paint. James loved this part.




Here are some of ours. It was so much fun to do and a great activity for a rainy day.




I hope everyone is having a great week! Oh, their is this amazing singer Daniel Martin Moore that we found on itunes. (we heard one of his songs on the TV show parenthood) I am in love with his music! It's very smooth and mellow. My favorite is "IT is well with my soul." Check it out! Alright, i've got to go give James a tub!

Today our baby is 9 weeks along. Hello 3rd month. Only, hopefully, one month of morning sickness to go! I'm trying my best to get a picture of my belly at the end of each month...here is Month #2:



I'm so excited for our family to grow!

Last night, i went to a mommy's bible study group. We've been a group for over a year now. This group of women mean so much to me! Each one is so different yet have encouraged me in more ways than they each know. We're kicking the bible study off with the book "Calm my anxious heart" by Linda Dillow. Fantastic book! The book is takes you on a true and lasting journey to contentment. I have realized that in this materialized and selfish world that being content is very rare. I am at fault for that. I am learning how to be content with how God made me and that He made me the way that i am for a purpose...and that that purpose is beautiful. Also, it talks about being content in your roles. Let's face it, as women, wives, and moms we wear many many many roles.
"what we are on the inside, what we continually think about, eventually shows in our words, actions, and even our countenances." That is so true. I have let certain thoughts completely take over me. It's fine to have dreams and thoughts, but we have to learn how to take control of those thoughts and not vice versus.
The book of Philipians is probably one of my favorite books of the Bible. Since i have been married and more so since i have been a mom, chapter 4 has been forever etched in my heart.
(Phil. 4:6-9 MSG)
6-7Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

8-9Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies."

I wish i could have that mindset everyday..every minute.

True contentment is a peace separated from our circumstances. "Most of us base our contentment on our circumstances, on our feelings, or on other people. However, true contentment is separate from our circumstances. Contentment is a state of the heart, not a state of affairs."

This i got just from the first chapter. I'm excited to keep reading and learning. I think personally one of the best ways to start on the journey to contentment is to just be THANKFUL. List the things that are blessing/gifts to you. From family to your house to electricity. There are so many things we can be thankful for!

Thankful Thursday is tomorrow, but i want to go ahead and do mine today...in case i don't have time...or well, the energy to. haha.

~I am thankful for rainy days at home - james and i played "movie theatre" for lunch.
~i am thankful for my manly husband
~thankful for an ever joyful little two year old
~i am thankful that i get to teach James things...and see the results of him learning - talking, recognizing letters and numbers, colors.
~So thankful that i am pregnant again with a little bundle
~for our home that has heat
~my parents...just thinking about them makes me so happy that i was theirs
~For God's grace...which i need everyday!
~and for my women's group

Have a Thankful Day!

Baby Burkart #2

Month #1


I have yet to take pictures of my belly from month two...it has definitely gotten bigger. My doctor warned me that after having a baby, during your next pregnancies you tend to show a lot quicker. Boy, she wasn't kidding! When i was pregnant with james i waited well into the 5th month before i wore maternity clothes...and even then i only had 3 pairs of maternity pants and a couple of maternity shirts...i could still fit into my normal clothes (some) during the entire pregnancy. This pregnancy i fear will not be the same. haha. I just want to be comfortable...and my pants are definitely starting to feel snug. Tomorrow i am planning a trip to mall to by a belly band - you can wear this band around your normal jeans/pants but leave the buttons undone - it holds it in place.
I am almost 9 weeks...the morning sickness is making it seem longer! I have been having it morning, noon and night. With james i remember i was kind of queesy throughout the day, but i was not near this bad. So i am praying that the 2nd trimester comes quick! But it is a bitter sweet feeling - it shows that i AM pregnant and that everything is getting into balance, but the bitter side...i hate feeling nauseous! So please pray for me! Luckily james keeps me busy to where i don't think about it too much. haha.
We had our first prenatal visit last week. I love my doctor! Everything seemed to be right on track. It was too early to hear a heart beat yet, but she surprised us and took us back to the ultrasound room and gave us one for FREE! We saw our little sweetie! And his/her heartbeat! It was so amazing and just what i needed to keep going! haha. We had james with us in there - that was neat.
We hung up the ultrasound pics on our bulletin board (so i can see it everyday) - james always goes up to the pictures and says "B" (baby). So sweet.
I can't believe how much i love this baby! I am excited to have 2 kids. I may be saying differently once the baby arrives...but i feel like our family isn't complete yet.
The other day i wanted to just rock James to sleep for his naptime. (we usually just read books and i put him down in his crib and he puts himself to sleep) As i rocked him, i looked around his room just thinking about him and this baby sharing this room. (we only have 2 bedrooms in our house - they will be sharing a room for a while) On one wall we have James' name spelled hung up...i could just picture baby #2's name hung up on the other wall. I about started crying. haha. While i was still rocking James, the hymn Great Is Thy Faithfulness popped into my head. It is such an amazing song! His faithfulness is GREAT! I am so blessed with my wonderful manly husband, my son james who always brings me joy, our baby burkart #2, our cozy home, and our wonderful family and friends who have helped us through thick and thin! Mostly i am so blessed with an ever so faithful God!

Here are the ultrasounds...it's hard to tell that it's a baby...but it definitely is!

Fall Crafts

Ryan made this awesome board to hang up my aprons and hold our mail.



I made this center piece of pine cones, candles, and pumpkins for our table.



Ryan surprised me with these fall colorful flowers! I love flowers!



This is our little thankful tree - we found some sticks in the yard and cut out circles to hang on them. On the paper we each wrote what we are thankful for. I asked james and he said "addy" (Daddy) "mama" and "b" (baby). so cute!



I made this little tree out of scrapbook paper and buttons. It also can be used as a dry erase board. I'm thinking about doing a different background for each season.




All week I've been without a car...which actually has turned into a really great thing - real quality time with James. We ventured into something new...FINGERPAINT!



He was really hesitant at first, but he really loved it!




I helped him make a pumpkin...which he continued to call an Orange...he loves oranges. haha.